Pyrophoric lighter



July 5, 1949. H. LAKEY PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Filed AprilvlS, 1946 ,lll/111111111 UML@ i @v @ind /(A QA W Patented July 5, 1949 PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Harry Lakey, Surbiton,

The Mcmurdo Instrum Kingstonon-Thames,

Dany

England, assignor to ent Company Limited,

England, a British com- Application April 18, 1946, Serial No. 663,006 In Great Britain April 25, 1945 1 Claim.

This invention relates to lighters comprising a wick protected by a hinged cap and adapted to be lit by sparks produced by a sparking wheel which is carried upon a rotatably mounted shaft provided with an operating wheel.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, it is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In this drawing Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section of a lighter constructed in accordance with the invention, the wick-protecting cap being shown in section; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of this lighter partly in section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The lighter shown in the drawing comprises a casing 1, which contains an absorbent for the volatile fuel and is provided in its base with a filling opening closed by a screw plu-g 8. A wick 9 projects through an aperture in the top of the casing and is normally covered by a hinged cap I which minimises evaporation of fuel from the Wick when the lighter is not in use. A tube II extending through the height of the casing accommodates a flint I2 and a helical spring I3 which urges the flint upwardly into engagement with a toothed sparking wheel I4. The sparking wheel is secured on a shaft 35 near one end thereof. This end of the shaft is of reduced diameter and is journalled in a bracket IB which is secured in the top wall of the casing 1 and constitutes the upper end of the int tube II.

The sparking wheel shaft 35 passes freely through an annular portion 36 extending across the bore of the tubular operating Wheel 31. The end of this bore is closed by a plug 38, which is a sliding t in the bore and has a projecting portion of reduced diameter which is journalled in bracket I9. The `other `end of the bore in operating wheel 31 engages over one end of sleeve 40, which is rotatable upon shaft 35 and has the tubular member 2| of cap Ill secured to its other end. A helical compression spring 39 accommodated within the bore of operating wheel 31 bears against the annular portion 36 of that wheel and the end of sleeve 40. A ratchet wheel 42 is secured on the end of shaft 35 and spring 39 normally holds a member 4| secured to the annular portion 36 in engagement with the teeth of this ratchet wheel.

When the operating Wheel 31 is rotated (in a direction counter-clockwise in Figure 1) spring 39 aifords a frictional connection between wheel 31 and sleeve 40 and the cap I0 is rotated to open position. Simultaneously the engagement of member 4| with ratchet 42 anords a positive oonnection between wheel 31 and shaft 35 and the sparking wheel I4 is rotated to ignite the wick. If rotation of operating Wheel 31 is continued after cap ID is fully open, the frictional connection to sleeve 49 yields and shaft 35 alone is rotated. If operating wheel 31 is rotated in the reverse direction (clockwise in Figure 1) the teeth of ratchet member 42 disengage from member 4I, operating wheel 31 sliding axially upon shaft 35 and plug 38, and permit rotation of Wheel 31 while shaft 35 remains stationary. The frictional connection to sleeve 40 afforded by spring 39 results in rotation of the sleeve and thus the return of cap I0 to closed position.

What I clai-m is:

A lighter comprisingI a casing through one end of which projects a wick; a flint projecting from said casing adjacent said wick; a pair of brackets projecting from said casing; a tubular operating wheel having an annular portion extendin-g across its bore intermediate the ends thereof and rotatably supported at one end in one of said brackets; a shaft axially aligned with said operating wheel and rotatably supported at one end in the other of said brackets, the other end of said shaft extending into the bore of said Wheel and passing rotatably through said annular portion thereof; a ratchet wheel fast on said shaft and cooperating ratchet teeth upon said annular portion of said wheel; a int wheel fast upon said shaft and engaging said nint; a sleeve rotatable upon said shaft and having one end extending rotatably into the bore of said operatingwheel; a wick protecting cap fast to said sleeve; and a coil compression spring surrounding said shaft and arranged between said annular portion of said wheel and the adjacent end of said sleeve.

HARRY LAKEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,792,350 Aronson Feb. 10, 1931 1,793,515 Segal Feb. 24, 1931 1,900,207 Strausser et al Mar. '1, 1933 2,418,295 Florman Apr. 1, 1947 2,442,186 Szerenyi May 25, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 301,449 Great Britain u-.." Mar. 7, 1929 

